Book Review: Canada: Canada's Overseas Aid
| Published date | 01 December 1964 |
| Date | 01 December 1964 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/002070206401900419 |
| Subject Matter | Book Review |
BOOK
REviEws
569
truth
in
Brigadier
Michael
Wardell's
complaint
that
"there
are
no
con-
trasts
of
light
and
shades, only
bitter
unrelieved black",
although
this
reviewer
did
not
find
with Brigadier
Wardell
that
the
book
brought
"sympathy
to
his
subject
rather
than
censure".
Just
pity.
York
University
JOHN
T.
SAYWELL
CANADA'S
OVERSEAs
Am.
By
A. A.
Fatouros
and
R.
N.
Kelson.
1964.
(Toronto:
Canadian
Institute
of
International
Affairs.
Contempory
Affairs
No.
31.
vi,
123pp.
$1.25)
This
book
was
written
by
the
rapporteurs
of
the
Conference
on
Canadian
Overseas
Aid
held
in
1962.
It
describes
and
comments
on
the
amount
and forms
of
Canadian
aid,
its
objectives
and
motives
and
the
administration
of
the
aid
programme.
To
those
concerned
with
aid
and
aid
policy
it
is
a
welcome
addition to
the
small but
growing
literature.
The Canadian aid
programme has
amounted
to
little
over
half
a
billion
dollars
since
World
War
II
and Canada
is,
therefore,
low
in
the league
table.
The
authors argue
the
need
for
a
large
increase
but
feel
"Such
an
increase
will
probably
remain
politically
impossible
until and
unless
the
Canadian
general
public
becomes convinced of
its desirability
and
necessity".
This
book
should
contribute
substantially
to
the
problem
of
public education.
One
of
the
more
interesting
chapters
is
devoted
to
the
adminis-
tration
of
the
aid
programme.
This
is
run
by
a
small
External
Aid
Office
which
"employs
almost
no
experts
in
the
technical
fields
on
a
permanent
basis."
Other
departments
are
asked
for
advice
at
home
and
diplomatic
missions
are
used
abroad.
The Conference
was
rightly
critical
of
this
procedure.
The
recruitment
of
a
special
staff,
including
technical
officers,
is
proposed. Until
the programme
is
expanded
this
is
probably
as
far
as
it
is
practicable
to
go
but
it
is
important
that
there
should be
as
direct
a
link
as
possible
between
those applying
for
aid and
those
responsible
for
allocation.
Information
of
availabilities
to
recipients,
help
in
formulating
schemes
and
quick
response
from
the
External
Aid
Office
are
desirable
if
the
aid
programme
is to
be
fully
effective.
It
is
heartening
that
these
problems
are
being
discussed
and
written
about
in
Canada.
The
Canadian
Government announced
in
November
1963
an
expanded
programme
of
aid,
restoring
earlier
cuts
in
the
Colombo
Plan
contribution,
increasing
aid
to
the
Caribbean and
Africa
and
providing
$50
million
for
soft
loans
to
Latin
America.
An
expanded
surplus
food
programme
is
to
be
administered
by
the Department
of
Trade
and
Commerce.
The
last
will
further
complicate
the
problem
of
co-ordination
and
is
to
be
regretted.
At
the
same
time
the
willingness
to
expand
is
excellent. This
book
should
help
to
show
that
the
problem
is
twofold:
more
aid
and more
effective
aid.
Overseas
Development
Institute
D.
J.
MORGAN
London
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